OCEA launches Ukraine’s first fast patrol boat 98
Ukraine is set to receive its first FPB 98, pictured here as part of Suriname's coast guard. (Photo: OCEA)
French shipbuilder, OCEA, has launched the first Ukrainian FPB 98, with 19 more still expected.
OCEA has launched the BG201, the first OCEA Fast Patrol Boat (FPB) 98 MKI, during a ceremony on 9 December at the OCEA site in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
The contract was initially announced as a result of an intergovernmental agreement between France and Ukraine in November 2019 to support maritime safety and security in Ukraine.
OCEA won the international consultation launched by the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior and gained the contract for a total of 20 patrol vessels.
Five of the 20 vessels will be built by Nibulon Shipyard, in Mylokaiv, Ukraine. The fleet is accompanied by a set of services including crew training, ship maintenance and technical assistance during the warranty phase.
The first vessel is set to arrive in Odessa, Ukraine, next spring. The vessels are planned to be deployed in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The FPB 98 MKI vessels are designed to be able to operate from one to two weeks within an EEZ.
They are suitable for a range of missions including, territorial and deep-sea surveillance operations, smuggling and illegal immigration control, control of vessels at sea, SAR, natural resources and blue economy protection and protecting sovereignty.
Ukrainian sovereignty has been a hot topic recently, as there are reports of a massive Russian military build-up along the border. The Ukrainian military has been enlarged in response, with two Island-class patrol boats arriving in November.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement]()
Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement
The Indian Navy's P17B programme is expected to combine greater weapons capacity with a competitive domestic construction model, although key systems could remain dependent on international supply chains.
-
![How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base]()
How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base
Extending far beyond a four-submarine replacement programme, France’s ballistic missile submarine effort is a decades-long industrial initiative designed to preserve the country’s ability to build and sustain nuclear-powered strategic platforms.
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
